


Make Me a Promise

by ralsbecket



Series: WinterIron Stockings [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Anxiety, Banter, Canon Divergence - Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Fluff and Humor, Kintsugi, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Skydiving, Song: Fallin' (Adrenaline) (Why Don't We)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-04
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-15 12:40:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28563678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ralsbecket/pseuds/ralsbecket
Summary: He’d done all of that as Iron Man, the armored superhero. He’d been able to control everything then. He’d never jumped out of a plane as Tony Stark, potential human pancake.Or, Bucky convinces his boyfriend to go skydiving, and Tony regrets it until he doesn't.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Tony Stark
Series: WinterIron Stockings [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2149548
Comments: 6
Kudos: 27
Collections: Winteriron Winter Stockings 2020





	Make Me a Promise

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Purple_ducky00](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Purple_ducky00/gifts).
  * In response to a prompt by [Purple_ducky00](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Purple_ducky00/pseuds/Purple_ducky00) in the [winteriron_winter_stockings_2020](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/winteriron_winter_stockings_2020) collection. 



> “Oh, baby, I can feel the rush of adrenaline  
> I'm not scared to jump if you want to  
> Let's just fall in love for the hell of it  
> Maybe we'll just keep fallin'”  
> \- Why Don’t We, _Fallin’ (Adrenaline)_
> 
> A/N: Inspired by Ducky's short prompt - "Skydiving". For this universe context, Bucky was pardoned in 2014 post-TWS. They eventually got together as Tony helped with the de-brainwashing, until 2016 when he met T'Challa, who introduced him to Shuri in Wakanda.
> 
> I hope you enjoy this little one-shot!!

His stomach was in knots. His heart was in his throat. The door on the side of the small, single-engine plane was thrown wide open, and the despite the thunderous winds billowing around them, Tony was still able to hear his blood pumping in his ears.

It was ridiculous. Down-right ridiculous. Despite being thousands of feet above the ground, with his safety gear and a parachute strapped snuggly onto his back, Tony was still having a hard time with figuring out how he ended up there.

“You’re lookin’ a little pale there, doll.”

Ah, right. The cheeky bastard was why he was nearly 14,000 feet above sea level.

Tony tried not to glare at his boyfriend but was largely unsuccessful, if the look in his eyes meant anything. “I’m _fine_ ,” he gritted through clenched teeth, frowning at the smirk that slowly spread across Bucky’s face.

“There’s no shame in backing out, Tony,” Bucky prodded, tightening the straps across his chest absentmindedly. Of course he’d say that, the _asshole_.

“Who said I was backing out?” To make a point, Tony slipped the front of his helmet visor right over his eyes. He took in a deep breath, hoping that Bucky didn’t hear the slight shakiness in it. “Honey, jumping out of a plane is _child’s play_.”

“Well, good.” A corner of Bucky’s mouth quirked up at the quip, and Tony saw the ghost of an indecipherable expression pass over his face before Bucky turned to adjust his own helmet, stepping closer to the port.

Tony followed behind his boyfriend. Bucky shouted something about a drop zone to their pilot in front, whose only response was an enthusiastic thumbs up in their direction. _Oh no_.

Bucky grabbed the strap right above the plane’s opening before quickly shooting Tony a bright grin. “I’ll see you in a minute, sweetheart,” he said, shutting his visor. Pivoting suddenly, he leaned out of the plane backwards and head-first, and then he was gone.

It took a solid two seconds before Tony’s brain caught up with the rest of his body. He grabbed for the strap where Bucky’s hand had been mere seconds ago, leaning forward slightly to watch him in free fall only a few hundred feet below.

Tony’s stomach did flips again as he psyched himself up to follow. He was Iron Man, goddamn it. He’s jumped out of a charter plane to make a grand entrance at the StarkExpo. He’s jumped out of Air Force One to save its crew. He’s fallen straight off Stark Tower. He’s _flown into space_ , for fuck’s sake.

But he’d done all of that as Iron Man, the armored superhero. He’d been able to control everything then. He’d never jumped out of a plane as Tony Stark, potential human pancake.

The pilot was yelling at him – “You need to jump, Mr. Stark!” – and the only thought that blipped through his mind was, _If I survive this, I’m going to kill Bucky_.

His second thought was, _why didn’t we use the Quinjet?_ followed by _fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck._

After the soles of his shoes left contact with the plane, Tony spent the first few seconds of his fall screaming as he dropped a thousand feet. The next five were spent getting his limbs back under his control, spreading them out to cushion himself in the air. Tony leveled his breathing, checking the altimeter on his wrist before he let himself relax into the free fall.

There was no alien invasion, no people to save, no thoughts in his head. Save for the rushing winds, Tony could admit that it was… peaceful. Serene. He took in the sights around him – the mountains off in the horizon, the patches of grass and trees and houses in the distance. It wasn’t until he heard a familiar chuckle in his ear that he remembered their commlink had been open the entire time.

Below, he could see Bucky facing up at him, waving an arm in a wide half-circle. “ _Enjoying the view?_ ”

“Something like that!” Tony responded, letting out a breathless laugh. Because he really was – enjoying the view, that is. His want to wring Bucky’s neck had dissipated significantly.

Tony tucked his limbs in together, barreling down when Bucky angled back towards the fast-approaching ground and freed his parachute. He mimicked the motion, reaching for the quick release and then groaning as the deployment jerked him back roughly.

Their descent was seamless; Tony had followed Bucky to the open field and didn’t even need to dodge any rogue trees. Bucky’s parachute was just falling flat to the grass as Tony landed on the balls of his feet, shifting to slide along his side. As he lay on his back, Tony took a moment to breathe before reaching up to undo his helmet and unhooking his harness.

“Holy shit,” he mused, staring up at the nearly cloudless blue sky above him. Tony’s heart was beating so fast, the adrenaline still pumping through his veins, and his limbs tingled from the weightless feeling.

Bucky was standing over him a few moments later, his grin sending even more butterflies fluttering in Tony’s stomach. “How did it feel?”

“How did – wha?”

The grin grew even wider. “How did it feel, Anthony, to fall straight from heaven?”

Tony rolled his eyes as he groaned, extending his arms out for his boyfriend to take. “Stop with the corny jokes, _James_ , and help me.”

Bucky took hold of his hands, using his counterweight to raise Tony to his feet. Before he knew what was going on, he was watching Bucky kneel down on one knee. Tony’s mouth slacked, his eyes widened, and for the first time in what felt like forever, the usual smart-mouthed genius was rendered speechless.

“Shut up,” Tony snapped.

“I didn’t even say anything yet,” Bucky said with that same shit-eating grin, reaching into one of his Velcro pockets and producing a maroon-colored velvet box. He flicked it open, revealing an obsidian band veined with gold.

“Bucky –”

“Hold on, let me just –” Bucky took a breath, licking his lips. “Every time I went out looking for a ring, none of them gave me the impression of _you_ – and you leave _quite_ the impression.”

Tony pouted slightly, scoffing jokingly. “I take offense to that.”

Bucky laughed nervously, pulling the ring from its box and holding it between his fingers. When his eyes met Tony’s they were wet with tears. “They called it ‘kintsugi’, the art of precious scars. Mending something broken with gold. Steve gave me the idea, initially, but Shuri helped make it.”

“Buck, I’m…” Pressure started in his eyes and traveled to his throat; Tony pressed his lips together to hold back a sob.

“The gold fixed the obsidian in this ring, just like you fixed me. Tony, I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and I –”

“Yes – fuck, shut up – yes, _yes_ –”

The moment Bucky slipped the ring onto his finger, Tony all but attacked him with a kiss, throwing his arms around Bucky’s neck as they fell backwards into the wet grass. His stomach was in knots and his heart was in his throat for a different reason. Tony was right where he needed to be, right there with Bucky.

**Author's Note:**

> [Check out my linktree for tumblr, discord, and other socials!](https://linktr.ee/ralsbecket)


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